News July 2010

  

The Institute for Contemplative Living has had a busy last few months.  In May 2010 we held our workshop on “Liturgical Contemplation” at St. John the Divine in New York City.  We had a great turnout and wonderful conversation with the gathered community.  One important revelation for us was a need to change the title and content in the workshop.  We are now describing this workshop as “Praying the Eucharist: A Contemplative Workshop.” 

We also were fortunate to be at St. John the Divine during a visit by the Dali Lama and we heard His Holiness converse to a very large gathering about “Kinship and Its Meaning In Our World Today.”  His words focused on finding ways of relating to others without being caught up in the mere differences, but look for commonalities with others as a way to work and live together in harmony and balance.  Overall, it was a wonder time for Richard and Doug. 

In June, we worked, danced, and prayed with the tiyospaye of High Star Sun Eagle at their fifth annual Sundance for Peace.  Once more we dealt with the challenges of life exposed to the elements: rain, wind, heat, and cold.  We survived our time and experienced smoothness among the gathered tiyospaye.  As is always the case, the music from the drum and singing groups was simply exceptional.  We returned more fatigued than in years past, but also well feed spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.  We are already planning for next year. 

For the remainder of the summer the ICL is actively preparing for a busy fall and winter.  We will be offering an intensive Bible Study, based on Richard’s New Testament course at Iliff School of Theology, at St. Mark’s on the Mesa in Albuquerque, NM.  You can find out more on our “Upcoming Events” link on our website.  Richard will also be offering a series of lectures October 19-21 “Digging Revelation, Rising to God: Mining Scripture and Tradition for Hope for the Church” as part of the Martin Memorial Lectures at the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan.  

The ICL’s ongoing commitment to Native Americans is growing more and more.  The ICL was instrumental with getting funding from the Native American Ministries of the Episcopal Church for the Diocese of the Rio Grande to work towards building an Urban Native American Fellowship focused on honoring tradition.  We are excited about our involvement with the Diocese of the Rio Grande in creating, building, and developing a very important ministry.  Stayed tuned for more information in the months to come.